Sen. Coffee Launches Public Service Campaign
on Video Game Ratings; New Ads Explain and Encourage Parents to
Use ESRB Ratings to Choose Age-Appropriate Games

With the holiday shopping
season underway, Oklahoma State Senator Glenn
Coffee and Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) president
Patricia E. Vance today unveiled a new Public Service Announcement
(PSA) campaign to explain and encourage parents to use video game
ratings.

In the TV and radio ads, previewed for the news media at an Oklahoma
City Blockbuster store Tuesday morning, Coffee encouraged parents
to check the rating each time they purchase or rent a video game
to ensure that it is appropriate for their children and family.
The State Senator also encouraged parents to spend time with their
children in order to be sure the choice of the game was appropriate.

“As a father, I know about the tough decisions parents face
today about the media they allow into their homes,” said State
Sen. Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “The simple fact is that there’s
no substitute for parental involvement and responsibility. It’s
important that parents play an active role in choosing games for
their children, just as it’s important for Oklahoma retailers
to comply with their store policies that restrict the sale or rental
of M-rated games to those under 17. ESRB ratings are an effective
and informative resource that allows parents to decide if the video
game their child wants is appropriate. I’m proud to be educating
parents in our state about the tools at their disposal.”

The public service announcements are being provided to radio and
television stations and cable providers in Oklahoma this month as
parents head to the stores to buy video games as holiday gifts.
ESRB has also prepared a brochure providing additional information
about the rating system. The brochure is available at Blockbuster
stores, and the PSAs can be viewed in the Media Library on ESRB’s
website at http://www.esrb.org/about/media_library.jsp.

“Just like movies and TV shows, video games are created for
a diverse audience of all ages,” said ESRB president Patricia
Vance. “That is why it is so important that parents remember
to check the rating when purchasing games for their children. I’m
pleased to be joining State Senator Coffee in announcing his effort
to reach out to Oklahoma’s parents and educate them about
the ratings.”

The ESRB video game ratings employ a two-part system. As seen in
the illustration below, rating symbols on the front of virtually
every game package sold at retail provide an age recommendation,
such as EC (Early Childhood 3+), E (Everyone 6+), E10+ (Everyone
10 and up), T (Teen 13+) and M (Mature 17+). On the back of each
package, next to the rating, are content descriptors that provide
information about what’s in the game that may have triggered
the rating, or may be of interest or concern to parents.

Since its inception in 1994, the ESRB ratings have become a trusted
resource for parents when choosing computer and video games. In
April of this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released
a report[1] which found that nine in ten parents are aware of the
ESRB ratings, 87% expressed satisfaction, and nearly three quarters
use them regularly when choosing games for their children.

“While many parents are aware of the ratings, and are making
sensible game purchase decisions as a result, there is always more
that can be done to raise awareness,” concluded Coffee. “Working
with ESRB, we hope that these ads will help arm parents with the
information they need to make the right choices about the video
games they deem appropriate for their children and families.”

A complete list of ratings, content descriptors and their definitions
can be found on the ESRB website at www.esrb.org. More information
about ESRB PSA initiatives is available at http://www.esrb.org/about/psa.jsp.